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Kizlev (Kingdom)
The Kingdom of Kizlev is a large Federal Monarchy that lies to the northeast of the Empire and acts as a bulwark between the land of Sigmar and the Realm of Chaos. The Kingdom of Kizlev has been absolutely devastated during the attacks of Chaos and it is nothing short of a miracle that they continue to fight to this day. Kizlev is dominated in terms of religion by the Cult of Ulric of whom is the leading source of religion for the population. Kislev is a wide-open steppe, containing waving, tail grasses and thundering, icy rivers. Lonely villages stand isolated in the empty wilderness, and mighty cities rise from the landscape like great islands of stone. The climate is harsh and unforgiving, and only the strongest, most determined people can survive here. In the extreme north the lands are as cold as anywhere else in Europe while in the mountain covered valleys in the southwest there is ample land for farming and other normal central European activities. Kizlev is located in the far northeast of Europe east of Germania, and west of Rus and the World Edge Mountains. The central and southern parts of Kizlev are mainly plains and heavily used by wandering ranging Jutes of whom raise horses and cattle throughout the land. In the northern part it is extremely mountainous and what regions are not are filled with rolling hills making the land unsuited for farming or any real settlement. Kizlev is dominated in terms of religion by the Cult of Ulric of whom is the leading source of religion for the population. The Cult of Ulric is centered in the city of Erengrad where the very large Erengrad Temple of Ulric from where Var-Ulric of whom leads over then worshipping and worshippers of Ulric in Kizlev making him one of the most powerful people in the land. The Kislevite people are wolf-tough and self reliant, often seen as backward and rustic by their more “''civilised''” neighbours, but none can doubt their bravery or determination, for Kislev is a land that stands forever on the brink of destruction. The people of Kislev have seen their country ripped asunder by foul hordes from the Chaos Wastes of the far north time and time again, and now these stoic folk face a colder and harder life than they ever have before. Still the people have often found that their best friend is the fact that they are Teutonic which is the main reason that they are constantly assisted, and saved by the major Teutonic Empire in The Empire. Their population becomes more Slavic when one travels westward into the border towns, and south into the lands bordering Croatia. The Kingdom of Kizlev is a federal monarchy that is ruled officially by the Ice Queen of Kizlev but effectively is ruled through the different Oblasts which depending on there status may act nearly independently or as a vassal depending on many different factors. Kizlev following the growth of Chaos became the first site of attacks from the forces of Chaos, and it was here that the forces of Chaos would launch the first Dark Crusade. The forces of Chaos would utterly destroy the Kizlev lands and devestate their population before making their way into The Empire. Following the Dark Crusade their were several other Dark Crusades but none matched the destruction brought about during the First Dark Crusade. Recently Kizlev has seen signs that another Dark Crusade is on it's way, and there is talk from those that took part in the battle that the forces of Chaos are using a device of unimaginable power in their attack. The first evidence of this were in the utterly destroyed town of Lootrup that fell during the Battle of Lottrup. It was here that the power of Archaon the united were first seen. Geography Kizlev - Political.png|Political Map of Kizlev Kizlev - Climate.png|Climate of Kizlev The entire Kingdom of Kizlev is covered in 10 month a year snow, while the 2 months without are still freezing cold but the snow is not covering the ground. The northern border of Kizlev is ill defined due to the constant attacks, and resettling of friendly and hostile northern tribes. The River Lynsk is most often though given as the border for the north. Those who live in the more northern parts of Kizlev are a nomadic group whose settlements are mammoths that have been bred in Kizlev for this exact purpose. They are constantly on the move because of how cold, and arrid the regions in the northern half of Kizlev are. In the South the land of Kizlev while still far colder then most it is far more hospitable then the north. It is in the south where the farmsteads of Kizlev are found, but the buildings are mainly all made out of wood since the Kingdom is nearly devoid of stone. The south consists of all the major cities of Kizlev except for Praag with the capital of Kizlev being Kizlev, and major port of Erengrad. Political Geography The Kingdom of Kizlev shares its largest land border in the north and east with the land known as Ruthenia of which the determination made for the nomadic lands north and east of Kizlev and west of Rus. To the west lies the Imperial Empire of Germania of whom is one of the two major allies of the Kingdom of Kizlev and the nearest province in the west is Eastern Prussia. To the south lies the World Edge Mountains where they are connected to the Dwarves of Karak Ankor in the form of Karak Vlag of whom lies as the most important ally of the Kingdom of Kizlev. History Early History The history of Kizlev begins during the chaos of the four Emperor's in The Empire. During this period many regions of the Empire began speaking openly of Independence. Kizlev was one such region. War with Chaos It is mainly because of this proximity to the lands of Chaos that the history of Praag is filled with conflict and strife. Time and again, hordes of Northmen have poured southward across the Lynsk river to descend upon the city with the intention of plundering its resources before razing it to the ground. These sieges are most deadly when led by a mighty Champion of the Ruinous Powers. First Dark Crusade Main Article : First Dark Crusade Second Dark Crusade Fourth Dark Crusade Main Article : Fourth Dark Crusade Approaching Storm The first signs of war began to filter in from the outskirts of the Kingdom as the tribes on the outskirts begin fleeing into Kizlev proper. Following months of continued immigration into Kizlev a massive army of Chaos was spotted nearing the town of Lootrup. Kizlev could not know but the following year Chaos had found its leader, and as such the captains of each Chaos Gods were attempting to gain prestige by advansing ahead of the army and doing as much damage as they could. The first of these Chaos Champions was Morgagian the Vile who led his army of Rus against the eastern side of Kizlev. Morgagian See Also : Morgagian Morgagian was in his early life a leader amongst the Rus tribe that he was born. As he got older his violence and skill in war meant that he rose quickly amongst his Rus tribe to become the cheif of his tribe. As the years went by he carved amongst the rough lands of the Rus a large Kingdom which he ruled over with a powerful army. It was during this time that he became enamored by the worship of Chaos, and after coming to enjoy the blood that needed to be spilled by the Blood God Khorne Morgagian begin openly turning his followers to the worship of Khorne. With his followers and himself now following Khorne his lands became the site of many Chaos Knights and with this his army swelled to even higher numbers. Even with this massive army he was much weaker then the larger Czars that ruled over land in Rus, and as such he was forced raid further and further west until eventually he encroached on the lands of Kizlev. Reaching Kizlev Morgagian stopped when he discovered that in the far north Chaos had chosen their chosen one, and as such he mobilized nearly his entire army and prepared to attack Kizlev in order to impress the new chosen one. Battle of Histen Main Article : Battle of Histen Morgagian would rampage throughout eastern Kizlev destroying resistence with ease, and his conquest of the entire east of Kizlev seemed assured until he reached the city of Histen where he discovered the first resistence army yet. The army was led by Boras Belsku and was assisted by a large force that had filtered in from all over eastern Kizlev. Near the end of the book Rise of Lucerne Morgagian rises his hand in command of his force to move forward, and as of the end of the book it is unclear how the battle will progress. Goverment The Kingdom of Kizlev is a federal monarchy that is ruled officially by the Ice Queen of Kizlev but effectively is ruled through the different Oblasts which depending on there status may act nearly independently or as a vassal depending on many different factors. From the outside, Kislev appears to be a centralized monarchy, ruled with icy resolve by the Tzarina ruling from Kizlev. Within Kislev, one of the most important Forces in politics is her attempt to make reality match the image in terms of making people believe that she has control in places she actually does not. The other most important force, unchanged for centuries, is the constant threat of destruction from the forces brooding in the north. Kislev is a large and mostly empty country, with leagues of land containing little more than herds of wild horses. Such vast distances making governance a challenge, even more so with the constant threat of attacks from the north making the local villages constantly fortified and looking to themselves. The actual breakdown of the government of the Kingdom of Kizlev lies in the following breakdown of power : # Tzarina/TZar : Dynastically held leadership of the overall nation of Kizlev # Boyars : Leader of the different Oblasts within the Kingdom of Kizlev # Ataman : Leader of the Voblasts the provinces within the Oblasts of Kizlev # Morza : Leader of city states (mayors) There are Voblasts (provinces) where the Ataman (Govenor) has never received any sort of instruction from the Tzarina or even from the Boyars or druzhina. These people still recognise they are subjects of the Ice Queen, but they would be profoundly surprised to learn the Tzarina expects to be able to tell them what to do. Tzarina At the very top of the chain in terms of government of Kizlev stands the Tzar/Tzarina of whom is the King/Queen of the land, and this is a title that is held hereditary by House Bohka of whom has held the title for three generations following the destruction of the previous dynasty during the previous Black Crusade. Oblasts of Kizlev Kizlev - Internal.png|Oblasts of Kizlev Demographics Ethnicity The Kislevite people are wolf-tough and self reliant, often seen as backward and rustic by their more “civilised” neighbours, but none can doubt their bravery or determination, for Kislev is a land that stands forever on the brink of destruction. The people of Kislev have seen their country ripped asunder by foul hordes from the Chaos Wastes of the far north time and time again, and now these stoic folk face a colder and harder life than they ever have before. Still the people have often found that their best friend is the fact that they are Teutonic which is the main reason that they are constantly assisted, and saved by the major Teutonic Empire in The Empire. Their population becomes more Slavic (known in Kizlev as Gospodars) when one travels westward into the border towns, and south into the lands bordering Croatia. Religion Kizlev is dominated in terms of religion by the Cult of Ulric of whom is the leading source of religion for the population. The Cult of Ulric is centered in the city of Erengrad where the very large Erengrad Temple of Ulric from where Var-Ulric of whom leads over then worshipping and worshippers of Ulric in Kizlev making him one of the most powerful people in the land. Population Population Centers The nation of Kizlev is sparsely populated, dotted with settlements and villages that are surrounded by miles of uninhabited land. There are only three large cities in Kizlev; the capital, also called Kislev, Erengrad, and the northern city of Praag, which is closer to the dreaded Realm of Chaos than any other city in the Old World. Culture Language The language spoken by the people of Kislev is known as Kislevarin and is a blend of the original Ungol and Jute tongues with the addition of the languages brought by the migrating Gospodars (Slavs). Over the centuries, this has become the dominant of the three languages, with the addition of some Reikspiel words and conventions from the south. There are, of course, many different dialects within Kislev, and the language is spoken somewhat differently in different regions of the country, though the differences between these broad dialects are slight. There is almost never any difficulty in mutual understanding, and non-Kislevarin speakers are generally unable to distinguish them without conscious effort. The regional differences correspond mainly to old tribal divisions from hundreds of years ago, the most significant of these (in terms of numbers of speakers) are Sudevarin, which is spoken in the south, Krevarin, which is spoken in the east and centre oldie country, and Dolvarin, which is the principal language of the north and of the tribal raiders who plague the farmers. In the stanitsas of the far north, the older tribes and families keep alive the distinctive Gorelsk dialect, said to be the unpolluted language of the Ropsmenn, and they take great pride in their culture and language, which is said to be much more musical than standard Kislevarin. Some city dwellers—especially the less affluent population—also have their own distinctive dialects. An example of this is Tzavarin, still spoken by some of the population of Kislev, though these city dialects are now mostly extinct due to assimilation with standard Kislevarin, Nobility Boyars The Boyars are the middle-rank nobility, the nobles who hold real power. They are all Jutes, and the rank is universally hereditary. A few Boyars suspect Katarin plans to appoint life Boyars, possibly even from among the Gospodars (Slavs) and Ungols, and they do not like the idea at all. They have started spreading the idea that being a Boyar requires having the right sort of family pedigree, going back several generations at least. The Tzarina has, so far, 13 avoided explicitly opposing this idea, but she certainly doesn't support it. Instead, when she appoints Boyars to positions of greater responsibility, such as leadership of a pulk, she emphasises she is doing it on the basis of ability. Across most of Kislev, the Boyars arc the most powerful individuals. They are close enough and have enough followers to tell Atamans what to do, and any higher authorities are a very long way away. Most Boyars allow Atamans a great deal of independence, provided that taxes are paid in full and on time because they have more interesting things to do than deal with the petty disputes of a hunch of peasants. A recent trend is for Boyars to keep a home in one of Kislev's three cities. The Tzarina has encouraged this fashion, as Boyars living in a city are subject to her authority in practice and theory, but there are still a substantial number of traditional holdouts across the oblast. Such individuals may be unfashionable and uncultured, but they generally have a firm grip on local power. Druzhinas The druzhinas are the lowest rank of formal nobility among the Jutes. Many Atamans hold this rank, as do a significant number of rotamasters. The rank is traditionally hereditary, but the Ice Queen has recently starred making individual druzhina for life in return for great service to the Tzarina or the state or for financial contributions. She has even extended this privilege to some Gospodars and Ungols, which has created some discontent among both Jutes as well as other Gospodars and Ungols. Katarin often uses the rank of druzhina to reward influential individuals who publicly affirm and support her power and authority. These rewards are almost always for life, but she has occasionally granted a druzhina the right to pass the ride on to his heirs. Category:Kingdoms of Europe Category:Kingdoms Category:Jutes